HopeSpring asking community for feedback

Waterloo support centre wants to help more people dealing with cancer diagnosis

WATERLOO — HopeSpring Cancer Support Centre is hosting community feedback sessions to find out how to better serve all people affected by cancer, not just a certain segment.

"Basically, how can HopeSpring help you?" said executive director Jane Mitchell.

HopeSpring did a survey in late 2018 and discovered the people coming for its free services are mostly white, over 50 and women. Yet about one in two Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

"We want to be more diverse, to say the least," Mitchell said.

Along with hearing from the community about what services people would like to see at HopeSpring, Mitchell will talk about what the centre currently offers to raise awareness. Some people don't know about HopeSpring or that it's still open after going through a difficult time a couple years ago.

HopeSpring announced it would close in March 2017 due to difficulty raising the funds needed to operate, but the community rallied and soon raised enough to keep the doors open.

Mitchell wants people to know HopeSpring is here and looking to the future.

"We're strong and we want to expand," Mitchell said.

The centre will also be meeting with a variety of local groups and agencies to discover how it can reach a broader range of people.

Three community feedback sessions are planned:

Tuesday, Sept. 24, for Kitchener and Waterloo residents, 7 to 9 p.m. at Erb Street Mennonite ChurchFriday, Oct. 18, for seniors from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Rockway Community Centre in KitchenerWednesday, Oct. 23, for Cambridge and North Dumfries residents from 7 to 9 p.m. at Langs.

Go to hopespring.ca to register or complete a survey if unable to attend.